Definition
A background is a diffuse radiation field originating from no specific location in the sky. When observing a given field, it is that part of the signal which is not due to the objects of interest and comes from extended or unresolved sources behind them. At millimeter wavelengths, the microwave background, the fossil emission from the Big Bang, is present in any direction of the sky. By extension, the molecular glow or the thermal infrared emission from the atmosphere as well as from the telescope that is superimposed on the astronomical signal is also called background.
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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Rouan, D. (2015). Background. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_142
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_142
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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